The present invention relates to rotary or oscillating power tools, and in particular to hand held rotary or oscillating sanders. A typical hand held rotary or oscillating tool, such as a palm sander, includes a housing that encloses a motor with an output shaft that is connected to a spindle. The spindle is connected to a plate that rotates or oscillates along with the spindle and carries a sheet of sandpaper for engagement with a work surface. When this type of design is used with other types of hand tools, the plate can carry other types of working surfaces, such as grinding wheels, buffing pads, etc. Because the sheet of sandpaper contacts the workpiece during use, frictional forces are created with the sandpaper and requires periodic replacement of the sandpaper to allow for efficient operation of the tool.
Often, it is convenient or desirable to remove the plate from the tool to replace the sandpaper (or other working surface). In typical hand held rotary or oscillating tools, it is a time consuming evolution to remove the plate from the spindle, and often requires the use of external tools, such as screwdrivers or allen wrenches. The time that this evolution requires and the need for external tools at the worksite (that often serve no purpose other than removing the plate from the spindle) reduces the over all efficiency of the task. Therefore, it is desired to provide a sander, or similar tool with a rotating or oscillating plate that retains a working surface, where the plate can be quickly removed and replaced without the use of any external tools.